This Week's Show: Guns Save Lives

By John Stossel

Published June 23, 2010 | FoxNews.com

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The Supreme Court is expected to rule on McDonald v Chicago next week, determining whether Chicago -- or any other city -- can establish gun bans without running afoul of the Second Amendment. On my FBN show this week (New Time: Thursday @ 9pm ET), I'll look at what will happen if gun bans are ruled unconstitutional.

I know the MSM and most of my neighbors in New York City believe that allowing Americans to carry guns would lead to chaos. I used to believe the same thing. But as I point out in my syndicated column, those predictions don't pan out:

Every time a [conceal] carry law was debated, anti-gun activists
predicted outbreaks of gun violence after fender-benders, card games and domestic quarrels.

What happened? John Lott, in "More Guns, Less Crime," explains that crime fell by 10 percent in the year after the laws were passed. A reason for the drop in crime may have been that criminals suddenly worried that their next victim might be armed. Indeed, criminals in states with high civilian gun ownership were the most worried about encountering armed victims.

In Canada and Britain, both with tough gun-control laws, almost half of all burglaries occur when residents are home. But in the United States, where many households contain guns, only 13 percent of burglaries happen when someone's at home.

Two years ago, the Supreme Court ruled in the Heller case that Washington, D.C.'s ban on handgun ownership was unconstitutional. District politicians then loosened the law but still have so many restrictions that there are no gun shops in the city and just 800 people have received permits. Nevertheless, contrary to the mayor's prediction, robbery and other violent crime are down.